LED Anchor Light

[svstrider]

Bebi Company in Fiji are great people to deal with. I can highly recommend them. I have bought their anchor light & love it. They are also helping the local people.

[svtadpole]

Most bulbs on boats are, in fact, 12 volt automotive spec ... many automotive bulbs are now available as LED replacement items for very little outlay .... search Ebay for "LED auto bulbs" (or something similar) ... I have converted Tadpole's lights ( nav lights, anchor light, steaming light, spreader lights & cabin lights) to LEDs without needing to change the fixtures & fittings ...

[unbusted67]

It sounds like I will be buying an owl, thanks guys.

[multihullsailor6]

Here are two more you might want to consider:
- 12v automatic LED anchor light, minimum 2nm vis, New. on eBay (end time 07-May-10 09:16:11 BST)
- NASA Navigation Light Supernova Anchor on eBay (end time 14-Apr-10 10:18:29 BST)

[DWT]

Originally Posted by Polunu880

Go to Defender, thats where I bought mine, 99 bucks.
HELLA MARINE
Model #: 959910011 / 959 910-011

I got the same thing out of Key West for 105 bucks. It looked tuff, dependable and should last for 20 years or more.

[Shorty]

I have an Aqua Signal LED replacement bulb (~$50) in a standard Aqua Signal fixture. Works fine. Standard double pin base. Dr. LED also makes them, I think a little cheaper. Dr. LED's work well in cabin lights. Put a Kimberlite stern light on last year. Very bright, nicely made, much like Lopo Light but 1/2 the price.

[R_C]

I use an Attwood 5530 with 2nm visibility. They are available from a number of sources for about $50. It comes pole mounted with poles of varying lengths. I just removed the fixture from the pole and mounted it in place of my existing anchor light. Works great and only draws 0.15A at 12V.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by unbusted67

Why is it so hard to find an LED anchor light that isn't $600 and doesn't come on top of a six foot pole?

We just use 6 garden solar lights cable tied onto the staunchions and twiin backstays.
They are auto on, off.
They show the shape of the boat.
The boat can be seen because the light can't be mistaken for a star.
We can find our boat at night/drunk
They are cheap. $20 for 4, but less on special!
No climbing the mast to repalce them.


Mark

[svstrider]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

We just use 6 garden solar lights cable tied onto the staunchions and twiin backstays.
They are auto on, off. Mark

Not exactly LEGAL, mate.
Anchor light has to be visible from at least 2 nm away. The water wallopers on the Gold Coast, OZ are handing out tickets like crazy here to boats using garden lights for anchor lights. They are also saying the anchor light MUST be on top of the mast so it is visible 360 degr, even though the local regs say anchor light must not be obscured by more than seven degrees. Unfortunately the regs don't stipulate how far away that 7 degrees of obsuration (?sic) is measured from.

Something one could argue in court if one had the money, time & inclination. NOT something to argue over with the adolescent water rat / Nazi attempting to drive his power boat up the back steps of my catamaran at 10 o'clock on a Saturday night - believe me, I tried for a nanosecond before bending over and taking it - BOHICA

[Albro359]

I thought the regs actually said that the anchor light must be in the foretriangle ??

Anyway...I made an auto on / auto off LED anchor light with 3 rows of 4 ultrabright white LEDS, off set, so they show 360 degrees and a simple circuit with two transistors and an LDR...draws nothin...comes on at night, goes off in the morning.... cost about $10

When I get near a scanner I can post the circuit if you want...

[svstrider]

Originally Posted by Albro359

I thought the regs actually said that the anchor light must be in the foretriangle ??...

NOT what the Qld boating regs OR the water rats say. I had my Bebi anchor light 15 ft above the deck in the foretriangle. It has 15 LED's and also illuminates the deck for even better boat visibility but this was not good enough for the water rat and he was keen to write me a ticket until I rolled over and kissed his foot and apologised, in that order.
But wot can you do, discretion being the better part of valour??

[Albro359]

International Colregs Rule 30 :

(a) a vessel at anchor shall exhibit where it can best be seen :
(i) in the forepart, an all round white light or one ball
(ii) at or near the stern and at a lower level than the light described in sub-paragraph (i), an all round white light
(b) a vessel of less than 50 metres in length may exhibit an all round white light where it can best be seen instead of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this rule



This is an International agreement to which Australia is party to prevent collisions at sea...I'd quote this to the QLD dunderheads and tell em to f..k off !

[Albro359]

BTW it doesn't matter how far a way the 7 degrees is measured from..7 degrees is 7 degrees...its an angle not a distance...from your point of view...from his point of view the angle will be less the further away from you he is ...its all b..ls..t...tell em to f..k off !

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by Albro359

International Colregs Rule 30 :

(a) a vessel at anchor shall exhibit where it can best be seen :
(i) in the forepart, an all round white light or one ball
(ii) at or near the stern and at a lower level than the light described in sub-paragraph (i), an all round white light
(b) a vessel of less than 50 metres in length may exhibit an all round white light where it can best be seen instead of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this rule



This is an International agreement to which Australia is party to prevent collisions at sea...I'd quote this to the QLD dunderheads and tell em to f..k off !

Right but earlier in the regulations they stipulate that an "all round white light" has to be visible in an arch of 360 degrees. It is hard to see a white light that is in the for-triangle from aft of the mast because the mast would be obstructing it. Therefore you really do have to have it at the masthead. I think when they say, "(i) in the forepart, an all round white light or one ball" They are referring to a power boat with a mast up towards the bow. In other words the ball or the light don't necessarily have to be in the center of the boat.

[SailFastTri]

Another vote for the Owl. Good people to deal with too. Also agree on the brightness.

I hang two of them, one on each side of the boat about 6 feet above deck level so there is always at least one in view, and the boat is more visible to launch pilots and drunks in dinghies (who might not look up).

The only disadvantage I see with the Owl is it isn't "CG-certified" to meet the 2nm visibility standard. From looking at it, it is certainly brighter than other lights that are certified, but I wouldn't want to have to pay for expert testing and testimony in court. Anyone know -- does if violate Col-regs to show 2 lights?